Only a small minority of couples moving in together now see it as a trial run
for marriage, survey suggests

Only a quarter of couples who move in together actively see it as a step towards getting married, research suggests.

One in five couples who cohabit or plan to have actively ruled marriage out and one in seven of them are convinced they will never be able to afford to get married even if they wanted to, polling by the Co-operative Legal Services found.

The study also uncovered growing confusion among the public about what rights people who live together unmarried have to property and contact with their children in the event of a break-up.

It found that almost a third of people wrongly believe that couples who live together have the same financial rights as married couples because of a widespread belief in the notion of “common law” marriage.

In a similar survey a year ago only a fifth of the population believed this, suggesting that the confusion is growing rather than diminishing.

At the same time two thirds of people thought, again wrongly, that they would not have the same rights to see their children after a break-up as those who had formalized their relationship through marriage or civil partnership.

The recent upturn in the property market is expected to lead to a rise in the number of couples making the decision to move in together.

Official figures have shown that cohabitation is becoming the norm, even for couples planning to start a family, with almost equal numbers of babies born in and outside of marriage.

But the polling goes further, suggesting that marriage itself is now an active consideration only for a only a minority.

Those who said that they either were cohabiting or would consider it were asked what their main motivation for doing so was.

Almost four out of 10 said it was purely to “live together as a couple”, while one in five said it was to reduce living costs and another fifth said they had no desire ever to marry.

Just 24 per cent said that they saw it as a stepping stone or trial run to marriage, to “test the strength” of the relationship.

Harry Benson of the Marriage Foundation, the think-tank set up by the High Court judge Sir Paul Coleridge, said: “The important question is whether couples are sliding into living together or making a decision about their future.

“The problem with cohabitation is that it can trap in less than ideal relationships.”

He added that actively setting out to “test” a relationship could be a sign of insecurity rather than strength.

“Couples who want to make their relationship work have got to make decisions about their future together, that’s the key and marriage is the most obvious way to do that,” he said.

“If you are explicitly saying that you are there to test your relationship, that almost certainly means that it is not going to work and you are really doing it for convenience ior fun.”

Jenny Beck, Director of Family Law at The Co-operative Legal Services, said: “It’s clear that the modern family continues to evolve, but it’s concerning to see that understanding of our legal rights lags behind – meaning many of us could be left vulnerable.

“Times are tough for many people, but this confusion could make things worse and cost them dearly if they do not take some basic precautions when deciding to move in together.

“It is important to understand that couples who cohabit aren’t recognised in the same way as married couples are. The law is different and can be complicated, especially when a relationship ends and there are children involved.

Penny Mansfield, director of the relationship charity OnePlusOne, said: “It is important that people are aware that they don’t have automatic rights by living with their partner, but if they don’t want to get married or register a civil partnership there are things that they can do to protect their legal rights."